My Little Pony:The Element of Hope
by IcarusFiremane
Summary: When a human from the middle ages gets transported to Equestria, Twilight and the girls try their best to make him feel at home. However, when three of their most fierce enemies join forces, Twilight and the girls must race around the world in order to protect the one thing that could save it, the Seventh Element, aided by their new friend, along with an unexpected ally.
1. Enter Magnus

**This is my first MLP fanfic.**

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Twilight and her friends looked at the creature before them. He stood about six feet tall and was bipedal. Twilight had identified him as a human, a creature she had encountered before when she had traveled through that magic mirror in the Crystal Empire. He was rubbing his head, shock having taken him after he woke up.

What had started as a normal day quickly turned strange. Fluttershy had planned a picnic for the girls and Spike to enjoy. As they were getting situated there was a sudden flash that was accompanied by deafening thunder. When the light cleared and the thunder subsided, the girls looked up to find the human lying unconscious in the grass nearby. Once Twilight had told the girls what exactly he was, she placed him against a nearby tree using her magic.

When he had woken up, he had blinked a few times, seemingly trying to figure out if he was hallucinating. When reality had hit him his eyes went wide and he shot up, back to the tree. He had reached for his hip and, finding nothing there, looked down. Some words escaped from his mouth that Twilight didn't recognize.

"Where am I," he had asked, "and how did I get here?"

Twilight stepped towards him slowly, "Take it easy sir. You're in Equestria. As to how you got here, I'm afraid we don't know. There was a sudden flash and then you appeared here."

The human looked down in thought. He sat down and began rubbing his head, shocked and confused. That's how he had been for the past hour. He occasionally muttered words in a language that Twilight and the girls didn't recognize.

They took this time to take him in. He wasn't dressed like the humans Twilight knew. Based on the pictures from the human history books she recalled, he appeared to be dressed in a medieval style. He wore a dark blue, cloth tunic that sported an apron that reached his knees. This apron was mirrored in the back and the whole tunic was outlined in gold. Beneath this he wore a long sleeved black shirt. His legs were covered with a pair of black leggings and he wore a pair of black traveling boots. His hair, which hung down to the middle of his neck, was jet black with streaks of silver running through it. But it was his eyes that caught Twilight's attention. They were bright green and seemed to glow with some inner power. At his hip was an empty scabbard for a sword.

After a few minutes more, Twilight spoke up, "May I ask your name?"

The human looked up from his thoughts, "My name is Magnus, Third Seat of the First Circle of the Guild of Magi. And whom, may I ask, are you?"

"My name's Twilight Sparkle. These are my friends, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Apple Jack, and Spike." Twilight pointed to each of her friends in turn.

Magnus nodded and looked around, "This land, you said it is called Equestria?"

"That's right," Rarity said.

Magnus chuckled and looked off to his left, seeming to stare at nothing and everything at once. "I thought this place was but a myth," he said. "A world far removed from my own. Yet, here I sit. Through what means I was brought here, I know not. But fate has some plan for me in this place, of that I am certain." He let out another chuckle, "Who knows? Perhaps I'll be happier here."

"What do you mean sugar cube?" Applejack asked. "Weren't yah happy back home in y'er own world?"

Magnus looked at the gamboge colored pony, "Not really. My life was full of constant work. It was rare I even managed to get any sleep. I was under constant command to research some obscure arcane reference or another. Occasionally I would receive some magical artifact that no one knew what it was. Sure, some turned out to be rather powerful, but most were just simple protection charms in one form or another." He looked back out the land, "I didn't have much of a social life, and what few friends I had were other magicians like me, seeing as how the non-magicians were terrified of us."

Twilight perked up a little at this, "You can use magic?"

Magnus looked at the purple Alicorn curiously, "I can, though I do so sparingly. Why do you ask?"

Twilight smiled, "I'm a magical student myself. But the reason I ask is this: I've been to the human world once before and I couldn't use my magic. Although I think I traveled to a time farther forward than your time."

Magnus frowned, "Strange. I suppose that the gift for magic could have eventually been lost entirely as time progressed, but I don't see why." Magnus shrugged, "Who knows? I suppose it's out of my hands now." He would have said something else had his stomach not started growling. He sighed, "And once again, I've forgotten to eat."

Twilight looked over to the picnic basket and pulled out a couple of apples using magic. This caught Magnus's attention. Twilight floated the apples over to Magnus, "I know it's not meat like humans are used to…"

Magnus waved it off, "Don't worry about that. I'm a vegetarian." Magnus took one of the apples and took a bite. His eyes sparkled at the flavor. He made quick work of both apples, leaving only the cores. He let out a content sigh, "Those were the best apples I've ever eaten."

"Well they should be," Applejack said. "First apples of the harvest after all."

"So why do you think you're here, Magnus?" Spike asked.

Magnus sighed, "If only I knew. One moment I'm sitting at my desk working on translating an ancient manuscript, next thing I know there's a bright flash. After that all I remember is waking up here." He looked around, "This land is beautiful. The world I come from is horridly disgusting. The streets are crowded and filthy, crime is rampant…" he shook his head.

"Why doesn't your ruler do anything about it then?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Magnus let out a loud laugh, "As if that pompous fool would do anything for his people. The only thing he cares about is filling his already full treasury."

"That's just awful," Fluttershy said.

"Indeed."

"So what do you plan on doing now?" Twilight asked.

"I suppose just wait until I figure out what it is I'm supposed to do. Until then, I guess I'll just try to help out where I can."

"Hey Twilight," Applejack said, "Yah reckon the Princess might know somthin' about all this."

"It's possible," Twilight said. "At the very least, it's worth a try."

Magnus gave Twilight a questioning look, "Princess?"

"My mentor, Princess Celestia. She's the ruler of Equestria alongside her sister, Princess Luna. I'm actually supposed to go see her tomorrow. Until then, you're welcome to stay in the library with me."

Magnus nodded, "Alright, although it's probably best that I'm not seen." He closed his eyes and murmured a few words that Twilight and the others couldn't here. A green glow formed around his the crown of his head and moved down. As it progressed, he seemed to vanish from sight.

Twilight's eyes went wide, "I didn't think invisibility was possible."

"It's not," Magnus's disembodied voice said. He was still by the tree. "All this spell does is bend light around me, essentially rendering me unseeable." They heard an audible sigh, "I guess we should be getting along now. It's getting dark."

Twilight looked at the sky. Sure enough, Celestia's sun was setting in the west and Luna's moon was rising in the east. They had been out there longer than any of them realized. They quickly packed up their picnic and headed back to Ponyville, Magnus following close. They reached the center of town and each went their own way.

Magnus sat on the floor, his eyes closed in deep thought. Twilight observed him. He seemed calm about having been transported to another world.

"Magnus?" Twilight said.

Magnus opened an eye to look at the Alicorn, "Yes."

"How are you so calm? I remember when I went to your world, I freaked out. Although, in hindsight it was probably because I had turned human."

Magnus smiled and opened both eyes, "One of the greatest lessons I've ever learned is this: All things happen for a reason. We don't always know what that reason is, but it's usually for the better. I admit, I was a little shocked to find myself in a new world, but I've come to terms with it." He chuckled lightly, "Besides, with me being a magician I've learned to accept the odd things in life."

Twilight chuckled too, "That's true. You cast a spell expecting one thing and something else happens."

"Well then, sounds like we both have some stories to tell. We must trade them once we have time. For now, sleep beckons."

Twilight nodded, "I have a guest bed upstairs. I don't know if it's big enough though."

Magnus smiled, "That won't be a problem." They headed upstairs to find Spike had already fallen asleep. When he got to the bed, he mumbled a quick spell and the bed grew a couple of feet in length, sheets and all, making it just long enough for him to sleep on. Magnus and Twilight then bade each other a good night and fell asleep. The next day was sure to be full of excitement.

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**Next chapter, Magnus meets the sisters and part of the plot revealed. **


	2. Canterlot: A New Mission

**First chapter was more of just an introduction. Part of the plot revealed in this chapter.**

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Rarity covered her ears in an attempt to drown out the noise. Despite how much they tried, she and the girls had gotten stuck taking Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo with them. The three fillies often caused quite a bit of trouble around Ponyville in an attempt to get their Cutie Marks. They had taken to calling themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

At the moment, the CMC were running around the train car, jumping from seat to seat in excitement.

"Ah, can't believe we're goin' to Canterlot," Apple Bloom said.

"Yeah, I've never been," Scootaloo chimed in.

"I went once with Mom," Sweetie Belle said. She went to jump onto a booth seat towards the middle of the cart. However, when she landed there was an, "OOF," a sound like shattering glass, and a flash of light. When the light cleared, Magnus could be seen looking down at Sweetie Belle. The latter screamed and ran to a corner behind the older mares along with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.

Magnus sighed, "So much for staying a secret for the remainder of the trip."

Sweetie Belle stuck her out from behind her sister, "Who…and what are you?"

Twilight took this time to introduce the three fillies to Magnus, explaining that some sort of Magic had brought him to their world. After getting over their initial fear, the CMC began to bombard Magnus with questions, all of which he happily answered. Twilight found it amazing that he could handle the fillies without losing his temper.

"I have a question," Twilight spoke up. Magnus looked up at Twilight, acknowledging her. "You said you were the Third Seat of the First Circle. What does that mean?"

Magnus leaned back in his seat, "It roughly means that I was the third most powerful magician in the guild. I probably could have advanced to the title of Archmage, the head of the guild. Not that I wanted such a title."

Twilight nodded, now understanding where his patience came from. It must have taken him years to obtain that position. Magnus seemed to catch on to her hidden query though.

"If you're wondering how it is I'm able to keep my patience around children and their questions, it's because I helped teach many of the new students at the guild, most of whom were no older than these three here."

Magnus looked out the window of the train. He went quiet for a time, simply observing the moving mountains. "It's amazing, this marvel you call a train. Places that would normally take several hours would only take minutes at this speed."

"Wait," Scootaloo said, "you mean to tell us that you didn't have trains in your world."

Even Twilight seemed confused, "I'm curious about that as well. I remember hearing about them during my trip to your world."

Magnus shook his head, "Though they may exist in my world's future, they did not exist in my time. We mostly traveled on foot or in carriages." After that, Magnus became quiet, refusing to speak to anypony. Too Fluttershy, he seemed to be lost in thought—thoughts of his home world. It was quiet up to the point they reached Canterlot.

Magnus once again cast his spell that bent light and rendered himself unseeable. They exited the train to a royal escort of guards. Magnus raised an unseen eyebrow at this but knew it would be addressed later. He also took notice that Twilight had donned a crown with a purple, star-shaped crystal in the center. Her friends sported necklaces that all sported different colored gems that, oddly enough, matched the marks on their flanks. He could sense a great a power contained within, and each gem seemed to connect to the others in a complicated web.

Magnus followed behind, taking in the sights that filled the city. The streets were lined with storefronts, yet to his surprise, there was more than enough room to walk freely. They passed by a park where several young fillies and colts played around. In the sky, Magnus could see the Pegasus Ponies flying here and there, doing their various jobs. Many ponies stopped to bow to Twilight. It didn't take long before they reached the castle. Armored guards stood to either side of the massive doors. They walked down the hallway towards the throne room, the walls adorned with banners that depicted major events in Equestrian history. The floor of the hall was made of solid marble with a red carpet covering the center aisle.

As they approached the oaken doors that covered the entrance to the throne room Magnus noticed them open seemingly of their own accord, though he noticed a faint, golden glow around them. They continued forward through the doors. Magnus looked around the throne room. The walls were all adorned with stained glass masterpieces, each one depicting important events. He then looked ahead and saw who it was they were meeting.

She was a solid white Alicorn with a mane and tail that contained all the colors of the sunrise and sunset. Her hooves where shod with golden shoes. Around her neck was a matching golden necklace. The attire was completed with a golden crown atop her head. Her wings were raised regally behind her.

"Twilight, my star pupil. I'm glad you could make it," Princess Celestia beamed. She took notice of the others behind Twilight, "And of course a warm welcome to your friends as well. Including the three fillies I see trying to hide." The CMC looked up and smiled brightly.

Twilight and the others bowed. Twilight then straightened up and smiled, "It's good to be here Princess. Though I am curious as to why you had us bring the Elements with us and what you meant in your letter this morning."

"All in good time, but first, there is something I want to show you." Princess Celestia's horn began to glow golden and from behind her came a rather long case. She lowered the case to the ground and opened it. Inside, the girls could see the hilt of a sword and the tip end of the blade.

Twilight's eyes went wide, "Where did this come from?"

Celestia closed the case, "It fell from the sky last night." She took a hoof and rubbed her head, "The hilt flew through my window and landed on my head. The blade landed an inch from my face."

Celestia suddenly noticed that Twilight seemed a little nervous about something, "Is something wrong?"

Twilight looked around, "Um…I'm not sure how to explain, but…there's still another in this room that you haven't seen."

Celestia looked around, "I see nopony else here, Twilight."

"That would be because I am no pony, Princess," Magnus said as he released his illusion. The guards in the room were immediately on alert, spears lowered towards the strange intruder.

"At ease," Celestia said as she looked at Magnus. After a time, Celestia spoke, "I didn't expect to see you again anytime soon. Magnus, wasn't it?"

Magnus bowed, "Your memory is as good as ever, Lady Solana."

Celestia smiled, "As is yours, though I don't go by that name here."

"I know, though it will be hard to call you by any other name to be honest."

Twilight looked back and forth between the two, "Wait, you two know each other? And what is this 'Lady Solana' business?"

Celestia smiled at her student, "The most simple explanation I can thank of at the moment is this: I have been to the human world once before, though I went to a point farther back in their history. While there, I met Magnus. Solana is just the name I went by there."

Magnus chuckled, "And if I'm not mistaken, I also met Lady Selene at that time as well. What was her name here again? Luna?"

Celestia nodded, "Yes, my sister was there as well. She should be joining us shortly." Celestia stood and walked towards Twilight, "Now, as to why you're here: a few days ago some odd things began to happen around the kingdom. Nothing on Discords level mind you. These events were odd in another way. Lights seemed to dim and the shadows reportedly came to life. Ponies everywhere are now afraid to leave their homes at night. They're saying that it's like their nightmares are coming to life."

"That's awful," Fluttershy said. The others nodded their agreement.

"So ah reckon you want us to go check these disturbances out then," Applejack said.

"That's right," a voice from the doorway said. Magnus looked up to see a midnight-purple Alicorn that was just slightly shorter than Celestia. Her hooves were shod in shoes of silver while on her head was a crown of ebony. Around her neck was a matching necklace of ebony with a white crescent moon inlayed on the center. Her mane and tail appeared to be made of a nebula, both shimmering with what looked like countless stars.

"Luna? What are you doing here?" Celestia asked her sister, surprised to see her during the day.

"These events are happening during my night. I believe that places this mission under my jurisdiction." Luna looked to Magnus, "It's been a while, Magnus."

"Princess Luna," Magnus said, taking a deep bow.

Celestia sighed, "I suppose you're right, sister. I just thought to let you rest during the day."

"I appreciate your concern, but I am able to at least see them off on their journey."

Celestia smiled, "Yes, their journey." Celestia levitated a scroll over to Twilight, "This is the path you're to take. I believe you'll recognize the first stop."

Twilight opened the scroll and looked at the first destination, "The Crystal Empire! I would have thought it would have been protected from something like this."

"As did we," Luna said. "However, the Crystal Heart seems to be weakening, causing the protection it once had to diminish greatly. That is the first part of your mission: You must find a way to restore the light of the Crystal Heart."

Twilight and the girls nodded, "We understand."

"Good," Celestia said. "Now, one final thing. There will be one other joining you on this quest." She turned to look at the throne, "Come on out."

"Yes Princess," a familiar voice said from behind the throne.

Twilight's eyes went wide, "It can't be."

From behind the throne stepped a Unicorn mare whose coat was a brilliant azure in color. Her main and tail were both a pale cornflower blue with streaks of the same color many shades lighter going through them.

"It's been a while, Twilight," the Unicorn said.

"Indeed it has, Trixie."

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**Surprise twist! How will this reunion between rivals end? Please Review. I live off reviews.**


	3. An Old Enemy Returns

**Author's Note: This story may differ from the show slightly once Season 4 airs on Saturday (ermahgerd, only three days!). If that proves to be the case then this story becomes AU.**

**Any who, ON WITH THE STORY!**

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Magnus sat at a table in Sugarcube Corner, watching as Trixie and Twilight talked. They had only arrived back at Ponyville a few hours ago and were set to leave for the Crystal Empire in a few days.

When Trixie had stepped out from behind the throne, Twilight and her friends immediately took the defensive. When Magnus inquired about this, he was surprised to hear Trixie explain the situation. She spun a tail of the two times she had visited Ponyville, the first as a travelling magician whose tale tails of adventure had gotten her into trouble and the second as a power hungry madmare bent on defeating Twilight. She then apologized to Twilight personally. Twilight's wings, which had been raised defensively lowered slightly. She had looked to Celestia for an explanation.

Celestia explained that Trixie was still suffering from some of the effects of the Alicorn Amulet and had come to Celestia for help. She had only recently been fully rehabilitated.

Not long after this the group, now including Trixie, headed for the train station. The ride back was silent. Twilight had agreed to give Trixie one final chance.

When they had arrived in town, everypony there saw Magnus. Celestia had said it would be best if he stayed visible, seeing as he would be helping with this journey. Magnus agreed to this, saying it was probably for the best, although many of the Ponyville citizens bombarded him with questions.

Now Magnus simply watched the old rivals talk to one another. In front of him was the box that Celestia had shown Twilight, the one containing the fragments of his sword. Celestia had figured that connection out immediately and had returned the fragment and hilt to Magnus. Luna mentioned that the other shards had fallen elsewhere in the kingdom, though she thought one had fallen near the Crystal Empire.

"Mr. Magnus?" Magnus snapped back to reality and looked over to see Mrs. Cake standing there.

"Yes ma'am?"

"I was wondering if I could get you anything. You've been sitting here for nearly two hours."

Magnus smiled, "A glass of water, I suppose."

Mrs. Cake gave him a motherly look, "I don't think so." She walked off and shortly returned with a fruit salad and a milkshake. Magnus sighed in defeat. He figured that, no matter the species or world, mothers were mothers and there would be no arguing. It certainly didn't help that his stomach once again decided to betray him and start growling.

Magnus looked at the food and realized that there were no utensils. He shrugged and muttered something under his breath and produced a fork. Mrs. Cake blinked, but shrugged it off and went back into the kitchen to finish an order that someone had placed for three-dozen cupcakes.

Magnus began eating his salad, relishing the fresh fruits and vegetables. The milkshake was new to him however. He placed the straw in his mouth and took a sip. The drink, however, seemed to rather thick. He sucked harder on the straw. When the flavor hit his tongue, Magnus was met with a wonderful flavor. He began drinking it happily—although he soon learned not to ever drink it too fast. He clutched his head as the brain freeze hit. It subsided within a few minutes. Magnus cautiously took another sip of the milkshake and resumed eating his salad.

He looked back up to see that Twilight had a wing wrapped around a now sobbing Trixie. He could just barely understand the heartfelt thanks above the sobs. Magnus smiled.

"Twilight!" Spikes voice echoed through the door. Twilight, along with the other customers, looked up at the baby dragon.

"What is it Spike?" Twilight asked.

"Some weird boxes just showed up in the library. I was busy looking for a book for Octavia when there was a bright flash. Next thing I know, there's like, twenty boxes sitting in the floor."

Twilight took on a confused look, "Strange. Unless the princess has taken to sending me large packages via magic, I'm not sure…" her voice trailed off as she looked to Magnus. "Might you know something about these boxes, Magnus?"

Magnus shook his head, "I've been here the whole time, though I must admit I'm just as curious as you are."

"Well," Trixie said, her voice still shaky from her sobbing, "no use sitting here talking about it. We might as well see what these are."

"Oh and one more thing," Spike said. He produced a piece of cloth from the bag he was carrying. He undid the wrapping to reveal a piece of metal.

Magnus's eyes went wide, "That's one of the blade shards." Spike handed the fragment to Magnus who placed the shard below the one he already had. The two pieces began to glow brightly. When the glow subsided, the two pieces had fused together. Magnus closed the box and picked it up.

"How did you do that?" Twilight asked.

"I didn't," Magnus replied heading for the door. "This sword is magical. Should it ever be split into shards then it'll fix itself when the shards are next to each other. Now for those boxes."

Magnus was busy going through another box. Strangely enough they seemed to be filled with things from his world. Even more surprising was the fact that all of the contents were things from his office and quarters in the Guild. Most of the boxes were filled books on obscure magic and alchemy. The others contained clothes and several different glass vials that Twilight recognized as items used in alchemy and herb lore.

"Hard to believe all of this made it here," Trixie said as she examined one of the boxes full of books.

Magnus was ecstatic. These were some of the items he had been worried about falling into the wrong hands. The box he was currently going through contained several artifacts, including a trinket that was precious to him—a small amulet in the shape of a wand. He put this on and tucked it away.

Twilight looked out the window. It had gotten late faster than she had expected. She was about to suggest continuing this in the morning when a familiar laugh sent chills up her spine. It was a laugh she hadn't heard since she first moved to Ponyville. Magnus's eyes were glowing brightly again, though the look in his eyes was sinister.

"Something dark approaches," he said as he made his way for the door. Twilight and Trixie followed after him. Twilight noticed a rather long staff in his hands. The handle of the staff was made of silver with golden runes running up its length. The top of the staff was shaped much like a starburst with a topaz gem set into it.

When they got outside, Twilight saw all the ponies looking up in terror. She followed their gaze and fear gripped her heart. Floating above the town was an Alicorn mare that she thought had vanished for good. Her coat was one of the darkest shades of cerulean that Magnus had ever seen. Her mane and tail were a brilliant Persian blue with a light violet aura around it. Her eyes were a moderate cyan with catlike irises.

The mare laughed again, "Guess who's back?"

Twilight shook her head, "This can't be happening."

Magnus looked down at her, "Why, who is that mare?"

"Nightmare Moon."

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**BOOM! Bad guy! Cliffhangers! What more could a story need. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up, only this time, no small time skips.**


	4. Battle For Ponyville

**Sorry for the wait on this one. Been dealing with life. Anyways-More plot revealed!**

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Magnus looked back up the Alicorn that floated above them, "Nightmare Moon?"

Twilight quickly told Magnus the story about how Luna had turned evil and the subsequent story of Nightmare Moon's supposed defeat a few years ago.

Magnus kept his eyes on Nightmare Moon. It went without saying that whatever events had occurred that day hadn't fully rid the world of Nightmare Moon.

"Do you have access to these Elements of Harmony?" Magnus asked.

"There in the library, but I need the girls here. The elements only work for them."

"I see." Magnus watched as Nightmare Moon turned her eyes toward them.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" she said. "A human in Equestria? Well, it would seem you've arrived just in time to witness night eternal cover the land!"

"You tried that once before, Nightmare Moon," Twilight said, "and you were stopped."

"That's because I was still attached to that blasted mare Luna. You actually did me a favor, little princess. You separated our spirits, allowing me to become even stronger!"

"I've heard enough," Magnus said. "Twilight, go get your friends. I'll keep her busy."

Nightmare Moon laughed, a sound that sent chills through all those who heard it, "And how do you plan on doing…" she was cut off as a fireball nearly collided with her. She looked down to see flames coming from the gem in the staff Magnus was holding. "You honestly think that that little toy will help you defeat me? HA!" Her horn began to glow cobalt blue before a blast of magic was sent hurtling towards Magnus.

Magnus quickly shifted his hold on the staff and held it in front of him. The blast dissipated against an invisible barrier.

"Go!" he said to Twilight before raising the staff in the air. The air around the staff began to crackle and spark. He pointed the tip of the staff at Nightmare Moon and shot a bolt of electricity at her. The Nightmare Alicorn dodged and fired yet another blast.

Twilight took this time to run back into the library and grab the elements. She then used magic to teleport herself to her nearest friend.

Meanwhile, Magnus and Nightmare Moon continued to exchange blows. Just as Magnus prepared to release a torrent of ice at the flying mare, Nightmare Moon fired a blast that knocked the staff from Magnus's hand.

"Now what will you do without a…" She reeled as a blast of pure energy slammed into her. She looked down to see Magnus was now standing in a glowing seal.

"I can't believe you've forced me into this," Magnus said.

"Arcane Magic? How?"

"Long story. One you won't be around long enough to hear." Magnus then pointed at Nightmare Moon and fired off another blast of energy. She dodged to the left only to find that the blast was following Magnus's pointing. She flew around, attempting to evade the blast. However, she soon found that the ball of light was picking up in speed. She thought to try and trick it and approached one of the nearby buildings. Right before colliding with it, she shot straight up into the air. She looked back expecting to see an explosion. The only thing she saw was a blinding light as yet another blast made contact. Magnus stood there, waiting to see her reaction.

Nightmare Moon's eyes were staring daggers into Magnus, "You think you're something, don't you human? Well let's see how you fare against three enemies!" Magnus heard a noise coming from his left and narrowly avoided being engulfed in shadows. He looked to where the attack had come from and saw two red eyes staring at him with a dark aura coming from them. Out from the shadows stepped a black Unicorn whose horn curved up.

While Magnus took in the dark Unicorn, another sound caught his attention. He turned to his left only to be hit by a beam of green energy that sent him flying backwards.

"It took you two long enough, Sombra, Chrysalis," Nightmare Moon said, addressing the two new comers. Magnus looked up to see that the last attack had come from a creature that appeared to be an Alicorn but whose hooves had holes and had insect like wings. He remembered similar creatures in his world: Changlings.

"Sorry," Chrysalis said, "but we thought you'd be able to handle this."

"It would seem she had an unexpected surprise," Sombra stated, his voice deep and menacing.

"Indeed," Nightmare Moon said. "But that all changes now." She was about to continue when she heard someone laughing. She looked down to see Magnus shaking with laughter.

"I don't know what's funnier. The fact that you think numbers mean anything to me, or the fact that you think I'm finished here." Magnus stood up, an emerald green glow surrounding his body.

"What are you talking about, human?" Nightmare Moon hissed at him.

Magnus turned to face his enemies, "Before I came here, I held a rather lofty position in the Guild I was a part of. I gained that position due to the extreme levels of magic I could manipulate—a skill I only ever showed off once, and even then never showed my full potential." A white Arcane Seal began to form around his feet—this one differed from the last in that the center was void of anything. "That time I used my power, I was facing nearly three hundred soldiers, alone." The Seal began to levitate off the ground and make its way up. "I've faced countless magicians, nearly being beaten several times." The circle was now over his head and pointing in the direction of the three attacking ponies. "Simply put, I've faced greater odds than these. I'm not so easily put down. And besides, I do believe that it is _I _who has _you_ outnumbered." As he said this, six different beams of light shot forward and unified with the Arcane Seal, which slowly began spinning. Out from behind Magnus came Twilight and her friends, all wearing the jewelry Magnus had seen before. The light was coming from those gyms.

"I can't believe all three of you are still alive," Twilight said.

"Well, little princess," Chrysalis said, "we are. And if you think you're precious Elements can stop us, then think again!"

"They might not can stop the three of you by themselves," Rainbow Dash said.

"But now we have Magnus's power to amplify their strength," Rarity finished.

"Not to mention my magic," added Trixie. Her horn began to glow and she fired a beam into the center of the Seal.

"And what," Sombra said, "exactly is this spell?"

Magnus closed his eyes, "By the ancient writs of Magicks long past, I hereby declare a state of true emergency…" at this point the Seal began spinning a little faster,"…a threat has come upon this land, one that threatens to destroy the world itself. I summon forth the power that may restore the balance, allowing Harmony to fulfill its will." The Seal was a blinding circle of light now, the six colors from the Elements all flashing within it, "Now, I cast the final spell of judgment. Arcane Seal number 785: Oblivion Ring!" A multi-colored blast of light shot forth from the center of the seal, heading headlong towards the three villains.

Sombra called forth a shadow that engulfed him and his two partners. When the light hit the wall of shadows it destroyed it. There was nothing standing where the targets had been.

"Is that it?" Apple Jack asked. "Did we get them?"

"Not hardly." Everyone turned to see the three evil ponies standing on the roof of a nearby building. It was Chrysalis who had spoken. "Although it seems we need to rethink our plan now."

"Yes," Nightmare Moon said, "so farewell for now." Sombra's shadows once again enveloped them and they were gone.

Twilight came down the stairs of the library. She looked up at the others and shook her head.

"So he still won't say anything?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Not a word," Twilight replied. "I sort of understand how he feels. When a spell doesn't work like it's supposed to it can be a big downer."

"Combine that with the fact that he was simply thrown into our world…" Apple Jack said, letting the end of her sentence trail off.

"The poor dear must be exhausted from all the excitement of the past two days," Rarity said.

Trixie looked back up at the balcony. She had only met Magnus that morning, yet there was something about him that seemed to catch her interest. Without anypony noticing, she walked up the stairs and just stood beside him. She looked up at the stars like he was doing, wondering what was going through his mind.

"The constellations here are the same," Magnus finally said.

Trixie looked at him, "Really?"

Magnus nodded. He was quiet for a while more. The others had noticed Trixie being absent and had come up the stairs to find her. They stood in the background, watching.

"It's overwhelming really," Magnus said. "Within roughly thirty six hours I was transported to another world and fought with three entities that seemed to have god-like power."

"I can't imagine how you're feeling right now," Trixie said. "But I do know this: If not for you, Ponyville would've probably been lost."

"Trixie's right, you know," Fluttershy said. Magnus and Trixie both turned to look at the yellow Pegasus.

Apple Jack nodded, "As much as ah hate to admit it, ah don't think even the Elements would have been able to stop them alone."

"Yeah," Pinkie Pie interjected. "And with those three meanies trying to boss all the other ponies around, it wouldn't be any fun at all! They'd probably do something horrible like…" her eyes went wide, "ban cake."

Magnus chuckled, his first sign of happiness in over an hour, "Well we wouldn't want that now would we."

"But the question still remains," Twilight said, "how are any of them still around?"

"I'm afraid I can't answer that," Magnus said. "I don't even know who they are."

"Well," Twilight said. She then began to tell Magnus the events that had brought her to Ponyville, as well as the story of her brother's wedding and her subsequent trip to the Crystal Empire. Magnus absorbed this information.

"Well, from what I know of Changelings—assuming the same traits hold true in this world—they're a tough species to get rid of, so no surprise on Chrysalis being alive. The other two I still have no answer for."

"We may be able to shed some light on the subject." Everyone turned to see both Celestia and Luna standing on the balcony. Everypony bowed and Magnus took to a knee.

"There is no time for formalities," Luna said. The others stood back up.

"The return of these three represents a serious threat to all of Equestria," Celestia said.

Twilight stepped toward her teacher, "How is it these three are still around though?"

"I believe Magnus to be correct about the Changeling," Luna said. "Though I have no explanation for Sombra's return, other than perhaps some powerful Black Magic."

"And what about Nightmare Moon?" Spike asked.

Luna went silent, so Celestia answered, "We believe that the Elements didn't eliminate her completely. Instead, they separated her from my sister, creating two separate beings."

"It's possible," Luna spoke up, "that she has only now remanifested herself as an physical being."

"So how do we stop them?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Even the Elements seemed to not have any power over them."

Celestia sighed and closed her eyes, "That's because you don't have all seven."

Twilight blinked, "But, I thought there were only six?"

Magnus shook his head, "When you told me the story of how you freed Princess Luna, I recognized the Elements of Harmony you mentioned, though in my world they were know as the Keys of Balance: Generosity—the Beautiful Key, Loyalty—the Key of Companionship, Kindness—the Heart Key, Honesty—the Key of Truth, Laughter—the Key of Joy, Magic—the Binding Key. But there was one I noticed you didn't mention: Hope—the Unfailing Key."

"But all the legends here only mention six," Twilight said.

"Because that's all their supposed to mention," Celestia said. "The Element of Hope isn't like the other six. It has the power to function on its own. However, all seven Elements together form a power like no other."

"Well then, I guess there's only one thing to do," Rainbow Dash said. She somersaulted in mid air and started shadow-boxing, "We gotta go find this Element of Hope and use it to save Equestria."

"But who would wield it?" Pinkie Pie asked. This made Rainbow Dash stop. She hadn't thought about that.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Magnus said. Twilight looked at him. The light had fully returned to his eyes. "For now, we should rest. We've got a long road ahead."

* * *

**Next chapter will be a bit of a filler while I work out the plot some more. Trying to figure out how to fit Discord into this without making him the bad guy. Still a troll, just not a villain.**


End file.
